Handling and pressing means and method



Dec. 4, 1945. `l, F LAUCKS ET AL 2,390,159

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HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD 18 Sheets-Sheet A2 Filed May 27,1940 IIIHHHIHHIHIHIII Dec. 4, 1945. F. LAUcKS ET AL.

HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 4, 1945. l. F. LAUCKS ET AL 2,390,159

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HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18 Sheets-Shee7 l; F. LAUCKS ET AL HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May27, 1940 18 Sheets-Sheet 8 Dec. 4, 1945.

I. F. LAUCKS ET AL HANDLINGv AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27,1940 18 Sheets-Sheet 9 HANDLING AND PRESSING- MEANS AND METHOD Filed May27, 1940 18 Sheets-Sheet 10 ,4, 1945.v l. F. LAUCKS Em 2,390,159-

ec. 47 1945. l. F. LAUcKs ET AL 399159 I'IIH)I |I1\C1"v AND PRESSINGMEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18 Sheets-Sheet 11 me/whom ec, 4,i945. l. F. LAUCKS ETAL 2,390,159

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'Filed May 27, 1940 18 sheets-sheet 14` HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS ANDMETHOD Dec. 4, 1945.

` Dec 4, 1945. F. LAucKs Er'AL 2,390,159

HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18Sheets-Sheet 15 DCC. 4, 1945.a l; F LAUCKS ET AL 2,390,159

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HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18Sheets-Sheet 17 Dec. 4, 1945.

l. F. LAucKs ETAL 2,390,159

HANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHOD Filed May 27, 1940 18Sheets-Sheet 18 @if .4Z 42a 4.a/ 4 y Z9 L f 432 @if vf E 0 433 y [427 jA/z (f q C 1T-: i zig C L C r .43' v 437 di? 435 I if l Q f rlv l l Q f-l s n p 5 gmc/14M Patented Dec. 4, 1945 UNITEDA sTATEs PATENT OFFICEHANDLING AND PRESSING MEANS AND METHQD Irving F. Laucks, Seattle, Wash.,Ericsson H. Merritt, Lockport, N. Y., and Walter D. Lawshe and TheodoreW. Dike, Seattle, Wash., assignors to I. F. Laucks, Inc., Seattle,Wash., a `corporation of Washington Application May 27, 1940, Serial No.337,540

29 Claims.

that the first loaded assemblies are subjected to heat for a longerperiod than the assemblies.

It is a purpose of the present invention, in the case of amultiple'opening press, to enable the openings to be simultaneouslycharged, the charged assemblies to be accurately spotted in the pressopenings, and the incoming assemblies to be utilized by direct contactwith previously completed panels to discharge the latter simultaneouslyfrom the press openings. To this end, we provide a loader havingopenings substantially registering, or registrable, with the pressopenings and we provide means whereby assemblies can be simultaneouslypushed from the loader openings into the press openings, the incomingassemblies directly abutting the edges ol previously completed panels toeject, or at least to impart an ejecting movement to, the said panels.

In another phase of the invention, we preferably provide shelves fordirectly receiving the completed panels from the press openings andthese shelves may be so arranged and equipped that the original ejectingmovement imparted ,by the incoming assemblies is succeeded bygravitational eiect to bring the panels onto the unloading shelveswhereon the panels may be retained by suitable abutment means. As afurther feature; we may provide a ilnal receiver with means forfautomatically releasing the abutments in such manner that the panelswill pass from the unloading shelves to stacked relation in thereceiver.

Unconflned assemblies transferred from the loader to the press are, ofcourse, subjected to top and bottom confinement as they enter the pressopenings and this will ordinarily be suflilast loaded cient to preventany riding up or dlsarrangement of the leading ends of the assemblies asthey erigage the edges of the completed panels. Consequently the-panelswill be positively displaced. However, iny order to assure such positiveaction,

we may consolidate the leading edge of the assembly as it enters thepress opening or we may Subject the entire assembly to consolidation orprecompression in the loader, the precompressed condition beingmaintained in the press opening.

That is t0 say, We may, for example, provide the press opening with anoutwardv flare so that a wedging compressive action will be exerted onthe incoming assembly. Or we may construct the loader with shelves whichmay be'moved apart, so that the free assemblies may be readily loadedthereon, and then moved together to a predetermined extent in order tosecure desired precompresslong In either event, it will be evif dentthat the maximum necessary press opening will be less than that whichwould be required to receive a free assembly and, consequently, asanother important feature, the time required for opening and closing thepress is materially reduced. This, of course, applies regardless ofWhether a single or multiple opening press is involved. The extent ofprecompression may vary from a slight compacting action vto one whichwill bring the component plies substantially into general mutualcontact.

Under preferred practice, precompression, where the assembly is to bemore or less consolidated simultaneously throughout its area, is carriedout in a loader having an opening variable between a maximum, whereinthe free assemblies can be readily loaded, to a minimum wherein thedesired precompression or connement is achieved. When this minimum isreached, the loader opening is substantially the same as the maximumopening of the press. In speaking of the maximum opening of the press ismeant the maximum to which the press is adjusted to receive aprecompressed assembly and this maximum will ordinarily be quite'substantially less than that which would be required to receiveassemblies in free condition. With the loader opening at its minimum andin register with the press opening at its maximum, the as sembly can bedirectly pushed into the press opening in proper position, its connedcondition being maintained in the press opening and a previouslycompleted panel being positively engageable for ejection.

Utilizing a loader arranged forprecompression, and also the unloadingshelves and receiver,

, it will be evident that a great saving in time and enable a pile ofplies to be loaded into a multiple opening loader without lifting thetop assemblies any more than is necessary to free them from theunderlying assemblies. To accomplish this result, we may cause theopenings of the loader to travel past a pile of assemblies to be loadedor We may cause the pile of assemblies to Figure 2 is an elevation ofthe apparatus of Figure 1 showing the unit in loading relation to thepress;

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation. with parts broken away, of the unitof Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the unit;

Figure 5 is a section substantially on line 5 5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the unit;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a shelf of the unit together with anassociated pusher and operating means therefor;

Figure 8 is a section substantially on. line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in section in Figure8; l

Figure 10 shows the pusher in section substantially on line Ill-I0 ofFigure 11;

Figure 11 is a. section substantially on line Il-II of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is an elevation of a portion of the pusher;

Figures 13, 14 and 15 are Wiring diagrams; Figure 16 is an elevation ofa modified form of apparatus for carrying out the invention;

Figure 17 is an enlarged elevation of a detail appearing in Figure 16;

Figure 18 shows in part another form of loader unit;

Figure 19 is a plan view of another form of loader shelf; n

Figure 20 is a section on line 20-20 of Figure 19;

Figure 21 is a view similar to that of Figure 20, but showing the partsin different relation;

Figure 22 is a section on line 22--22 of Figure 20;

Figure 23 is a section on line 23-23 of Figure 20;

Figure 24 is a section on line 24-24 of Figure 19;

Figure 25 is a section on linev 25-25 of Figure 19;

Figure 26 is a partial plan View of still another form of loader shelf;

Figure 27 is a section on line 21-21 of Figure 26, showing also aVpartial section of a superposed shelf;

Figure 28 is a section on line 28-28 of Figure 26 with parts indiil'erent relation, a portion of a superposed shelf being shown insection;

Figure 29 is a front elevation of a pusher elementappearingfin Figures26 to 28 Figure 30 is a plan view of still another form of loader shelf;

' Figure 31 is a section on line II-JI of Figure 31Figure 32 is asection on line 32-32 of Figure Figures 33 to 39 illustrate theoperating sequence of apparatus including a loader having multipleopenings, a multiple opening press. unloading shelves, and a receiverfor receiving the panels from the unloading shelves;

Figure 40 is an enlarged View in elevation of a portion of an unloadingshelf and the adjacent portion of a press plate;

Figure 41 is a plan view of a further form of loader shelf, a pressplate and pusher;

Figure 42 is a side elevation of a series of shelves, plates and pushersaccording to Figure 41, and

Figure 43 is a view similar to thatzof Figure 42 but showing a differentform of loader shelf and pusher.

In Figure 1, reference numeral 25 generally designates theprecompression unit and loader, reference numeral 26 a press, andreference numeral 21 a table disposed between the loader and press andsupporting a pile of plywood assemblies 2l. The press may be of anystandard construction and comprises plates 29 defining, as here shown,ten openings 30. The press is open front and rear and, as here shownlthe rear edges of the plates support shelves 3|' adapted to receivecompleted panels pushed through from the front of the press. In the caseof a hot press, the plates may be heated in any convenient manner. Inorder that panels of different thicknesses may be pressed, the openingextent of the plates is preferably variable. In other Words, the maximumopening or daylight should Abe adjustable. Thepresent invention is notconcerned with press structure per se and Patent No. 2,172,003, issuedSept. 5, 1939, to Richard W. Stanley and Ericsson H. Merritt may bereferred to as disclosing a suitable press as respects variabledaylight. l

The precompression unit or loader comprises a frame here shown asincluding four uprights, 3|, 32, 33 and 34 connected at their upper endsby transverse members 3B and 36 and longitudinal members as at 31 and33. The uprights rise from sills sil-and 40 in which are journalledflanged wheels adapted to run on rails 4I and 42 which extend across apit 43 and up to the front of the press, the pit being disposed adjacentthe table 21 at the side of the latter opposite the press. The ends ofsills 39 and 40 remote from table 21 are connected by a cross member 44,there being an absence of such a' cross member at the front ends of thesills so that the frame can be moved from the position of Figure 1 tothe position of Figure 2 wherein the sill members extend along the sidesof the table. Movement of the loader between the positions of Figures 1and 2 is accomplished by means of a hydraulic ram which includes ananchored cylinder 45 and a piston 46 lwhose free end is'connected to thecross member Supported at the top oi' the loader frame on alongitudinally extended axis is an electric motor 41 which through aspeed reducer 48 drives transversely extending aligned shafts 49 and 50,each I' of which iras two sprockets of the same size at its free end.Through its sprockets and chains 5| and 52, shaft 49 drives sprocketsfixed on drums 53-and 54 suitably Journalled at the top of the frame onaxes parallel to shaft 49. Shaft 50 through its associated sprockets andchains is adapted to drive drums 55 and 56, respectively aligned withthe axes of drums 53 and 54. The drums are preferably spirally grooved,as shown, in order to guide the winding and unwinding of four cables ofwhich three, designated by refer-

